Page 63 of Protecting Josie
Seriously. He was too good to be true. If this was happening to anyone else, Josie would’ve rolled her eyes and said it was completely cheesy. But since this was Nate, and it was actually happening to her, she felt all gooey inside.
For some reason, she didn’t feel self-conscious being naked around this man. Maybe because he seemed completely unconcerned with his own lack of clothes. Of course, he was a beautiful specimen of a man. His bruises were almost entirely gone, and she assumed his ribs didn’t hurt, especially after the way he’d hauled her around in bed and out of it.
Smiling, Josie stepped toward him as the tub filled. She ran a finger down his chest, over the copious amounts of freckles. “I love these,” she told him, then leaned forward and kissed one. Then another. She would’ve kissed every single one of the small spots, but Nate put a finger under her chinand tilted her face up to his. He leaned down and kissed her. Long, slow, and deep. Then he took her hand and gestured to the tub.
“It’s ready.”
Looking down, Josie saw the tub was filled to the brim with bubbles. She also didn’t miss the way his cock was once again hard.
“You want to join me?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Nope. We won’t fit.”
“But…” She gestured to his groin with her chin.
With a smile, he said, “It’s always going to be like that around you. I took you hard, you’re probably sore. I can wait.”
This man. Jeez.
Josie stepped into the tub and settled into the hot water with a sigh. After going so long without being clean, baths were her new favorite thing. And Nate clearly hadn’t missed how many she took back at his apartment.
He braced himself on the edge of the tub and leaned over, kissing her forehead. “Take your time. I’ll just be watching TV.”
She felt bad that he hadn’t been able to clean up first. Blushing a little as she spoke, Josie told him as much.
But Nate simply shrugged. “I love smelling like you,” he replied, before straightening and leaving her alone in the bathroom.
Josie closed her eyes as she soaked in the fruity-smelling bubbles. Nate had literally changed her life. And she couldn’t imagine him not being in it. She hoped she wouldn’t do anything to mess things up between them.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Blink slept hard that night. Probably a combination of holding Josie and the exhaustion of the amazing sex they’d had. He’d never been with someone more compatible. He’d surprised himself with some of the things he’d said and done.
But since Josie didn’t recoil or seem repulsed by his sudden dominant streak, he tried not to worry about it too much. He’d simply done what felt right at the time. Had told her what he’d been thinking deep in his soul.
This morning they’d slept in and cuddled. Did Blink want to make love to her again? Yes, of course. But he’d taken her hard yesterday, and he wasn’t a small man. And even though she fit him perfectly, she was still tiny. There was no way he’d do anything that would hurt her, so he pushed his need down and simply held her.
And it was awesome. Having his woman lay against his chest as they talked about her mom, about his childhood, about some of his missions—without details, of course. Blinkfelt more at home than he had since he’d moved out of his dad’s house.
And now they were in his truck and on the way to her former apartment complex. She’d called her landlord yesterday, and they’d arranged for a time to meet so she could get her belongings.
Blink was both grateful and pissed at her landlord. Relieved he hadn’t simply thrown away Josie’s stuff, but not thrilled at how quickly he’d re-rented her apartment in the first place, after she hadn’t come home from her vacation.
Pulling up to the lot, he saw the complex didn’t look super expensive, but it wasn’t run down either. The neighborhood seemed to be fairly middle class. Average.
He and Josie knocked on the office door and a man around Blink’s height answered. He looked clean-cut and businesslike. He greeted Josie and led them to the building next door, where he opened an apartment door. “Sorry, but you’re going to have to figure out which boxes are yours. I just kind of shove everything in here when people leave. When it gets too full, I eventually take it all to Goodwill or other charity shops.”
Blink frowned in annoyance. But his Josie was as gracious as ever.
“It’s okay. I appreciate you holding onto my things for as long as you did.”
The man nodded, then pulled a check out of his pocket and held it out. “For your furniture.”
Josie took it and put it away without looking to see how much it was for.
After an awkward pause, the man said, “Glad you’re okay.I wondered what happened. Take your time in here. When you’re done, just lock the door behind you.”
When he left, Josie turned to Blink. “It’s okay, Nate.”
